Tickled Pink

Welcome to a world of fun...

...with Tula Pink!!

Hello my lovely friends!

I hope this cold winter day (or maybe not so cold for some of you around the world) is treating you well. Right now, a few flurries are slowly falling through the cloudy skies - makes me want to curl up in a beautiful quilt. How about you?

Well, I cannot think of, hunt down, or even begin to create any quilt that equals Tula Pink's talent and unique style. If you don't know this lady because you are thinking, "well I don't quilt," let me tell you that you are cheating yourself out of a tons of inspiration for whatever passion, craft, or hobby you may currently be engaged in. She is a fabric designer that creates fabrics like no other. I had the great privilege to photograph her for the current issue of Artists and Makers (Spring 2015 issue).

This is a great magazine that highlights artists and not just their craft, but as a whole person. Tula Pink has a fabulous feature with lots of info and of course, lots of pics that I shot for the feature. I thought you might enjoy a few pics and seeing her FABULOUS studio/home. 

If I didn't love Tula so much, I would be green with envy, but instead...I am just tickled pink! (I know, that was bad, wasn't it?)

Enjoy!

Is this a great space or what? I flipped when I first saw it. She lives in a very old renovated dairy barn!! How cool is that?

I love this chandelier and it came with the barn! Now, that is once fancy-schmancy barn, if you ask me...

Tula hand-painted this table as a reminder that while creating a new creation, we can be like tender fruit when others render their opinions - especially when they weren't sought. We artists don't really want to hear what you think when we are in the middle of creating, and especially when we haven't even formed our own opinion of our own unfinished work yet - yup - totally get that - thank you!

Okay, I really love Tula, but in her spare time she loves to sew by hand and sit in her favorite area to do it. I love working with photography, and yes, in some of my spare time, I will just shoot for fun...but Tula is fanatical about her sewing - which  makes her such an expert at what she does. Me, after a shooting gig, I will garden, cook, or whatever, but won't shoot for a bit to refresh. Sewing IS Tula's downtime/refresh time. I was just amazed at that. Would love to poke around in that head of hers to see how her wires are stitched together...could learn a lot from her, I am sure.

Love her fireplace with the deer head and her Tula Pink boat - which of course, she made herself. If I didn't love her, I would be sick by now - hahaha. But seriously, her talents still amaze me after knowing her since her first book.

I know, I know, I am dying too!! Can you believe her patio???? I swear, it looks like something right out of a little town in Europe. Those are the original barn doors-  L  O  V  E!  Okay, that's it, I'm finding me a darn barn next week, can't stand it...ready to pack up and live with the livestock! :-)

I hope you enjoyed this little tour of my photo shoot with Tula Pink. If you want to see more and read her story, pick up an issue of Artists and Makers - lots of great info and stories in this issue. 

Also, on another note, I am soooo waiting for warmer weather - I got my bike and all its fixins'!! I can't wait to ride it and of course, take pics of it and share with you my first riding experience n almost three years. Also, thank you so much for visiting my new Instagram site - I have had several friends over the years ask when I was EVER going to get on any social media? Well, a little over two weeks ago I decided to jump in and I received such a warm, warm welcome from other Instagrammers (I think that is a word?) and I so appreciate the reception!

Have a great, creative evening, even if it is just in your mind, while snuggled under a fab quilt, and staying warm!

from my house to your house,

Lavender, Linen, and a Little Bit of Love

Ribbon, lavender, and a little bit of linen

Hello my friends,

I hope all is well with you on this b..e..a..u..t..i..f..u..l fall day today! I thought I would share a little project that I did a while back, but decided to make a few more today - lavender sachets.

I have tons of linen scraps here and there and they (along with vintage ticking, old table cloths, or any natural fiber fabric) and they make the perfect little sachets. I cut the scraps into 3.5" x 3.5" and just fill and sew!

I like the rustic look, so I simply place one piece of fabric onto the other (wrongs sides together). I sew about 1/4" allowance and then fill with buds and carefully sew it shut. Seriously, the entire process takes less than five minutes from cut to shut.

The rough, unfinished edges give a feel of homespun elegance.

A little velvet ribbon tied around a bundle of three...

Makes an elegant and simple gift to thee...

Just "squish" them periodically to release the wonderful lavender scent. Perfect for under your sleeping pillow during the day and at night, remove, flip pillow over, and rest your head on a lovely, soothing scent.

Wishing "thee" a happy and creative weekend!

from my house to your house

Sew Much to do Sew Little Time!

Hello!

I hope this Fall weekend is bringing you joy. I only wish there was a magic wand that I could wave to extend this fab weather and number of hours in a day. Just don't seem to have enough hours to do all that I wish to do...same old story...same old results. I start a bazillion projects and eventually get to them, but I will say, it makes life fun and interesting!

And speaking of fun, I had a very fun day earlier this week where in the mail I received my issue of Where Women Create.

How exciting to discover that my photography appeared on the cover! What an honor for my work to be placed in such a wonderful position. 

If you remember a few posts back, I did a remake of my dining area into a sewing area, which could easily be turned by into my dining area, via furniture on wheels (metal furniture by Create-ologie. Shop their store HERE and save 10% off your purchase by typing in "Elizabeth Maxson" at checkout).

What a thrill to see that Where Women Create did a 10-page spread of my little project in their current issue. Below are a few images that did not get published, as well as some that I posted prior, but I thought I would share them with you all the same:

Found these fab lights at World Market. They screw on (like a little clamp) to the edge of the table which allows more table top space.

This corset comes in handy, as I sometimes slip a small pillow between it and the back for extra cushioning when I need it.

My silver goblets, doubling as trim holder. Just wrap and hang on the iron glass rack that I am using...easy!

My favorite stash and oldest textiles. I love looking at it, and yes, I have taken scissors to several pieces already....

And then my little dining area, which I am happy to have, but to be honest, haven't used (in this state) since the publication. We have a little back room with a table that we eat at at times, but with my sewing, well, let's just say I am happy to have PHOTOS of what it could look like! Ha-ha. 

(Hey, I'm not going to lie to my readers and tell you how many fab dinner parties I've had...but it IS nice to know they are still possible....)

This is set up for a soup party. Hot (and cold) soups will go into the ironstone pitchers, hot bread on the cutting board, and butter on the ironstone butter pats with a silver spreader.

Just had to do an old timey looking photo:

Here a few of the projects I have been working on:

Dying fabrics and lace:

Repurposing an old linen jacket...

Making little fabric roses from scraps:

Taking yucky, but comfy shoes and adding my own touch:

Needless to say, I have been experiementing. And my poor little area, while somewhat "organized" is actually more like chaos with purpose. But that's okay. I love learning and doing, and having a little space to make my mess makes all of my not-so-great experiments seem a little "whimsical." (That's my new word for experiments that turn out like crap - whimsical).

Next time, I will share my projects in more detail....for those who are curious about how exactly any of them turned out. 

I am curious too.

from my house to your house,